About this Document: Regional Guidance on
Submittal Requirements for Lake and Reservoir Nutrient TMDLs

Acknowledgments

The Office of Ecosystem Protection in the New England Region of
the U.S. EPA would like to thank the following individuals for their
review and input to this document: William W. Walker (Environmental
Consultant), Kenneth J. Wagner (ENSR Consulting and Engineering),
Ann Williams (U.S. EPA New England - Office of Regional Counsel),
James F. Pendergast (U.S. EPA Headquarters - Office of Water), Hazel
A. Groman (U.S. EPA Headquarters - Office of Water), and Myra Price
(U.S. EPA Headquarters - Office of Water). We would also like to
thank the U.S. EPA Office of Water in Washington, D.C. for providing
funding for this project.

The guidance is designed to implement national policy on these
issues. The document does not, however, substitute for section 303(d)
of the Clean Water Act or EPA's regulations; nor is it a regulation
itself. Thus, it cannot impose legally-binding requirements on EPA,
States, Territories, authorized Tribes or the regulated community,
and may not apply to a particular situation based upon the circumstances.
EPA and State, Territory and authorized Tribe decision-makers retain
the discretion to adopt approaches on a case-by-case basis that
differ from this guidance where appropriate. EPA may change this
guidance in the future.

This guidance is based on existing federal and state requirements
in effect in 1999 and does not address proposed changes in federal
TMDL requirements. The guidance also does not address the process
through which waters are identified as needing TMDLs (the so-called
Section 303(d) list), nor discuss TMDL implementation requirements
in detail since TMDL implementation plans are currently governed
by regulatory provisions which are separate from TMDL development
requirements.

On August 23, 1999, EPA published proposed changes to the current
TMDL rules at 40 C.F.R. § 130.2, 130.7, and 130.10. These changes
would significantly strengthen the Nation's ability to achieve clean
water goals by ensuring that the public has more and better information
about the health of their watersheds, States have clearer direction
and greater consistency as they identify impaired waters and set
priorities, and new tools are used to make sure that TMDL implementation
occurs.

References

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. April 1991. Guidance
for Water Quality-Based Decisions: The TMDL Process, EPA 440/4-91-001.

Office of Federal Register. 1995. 40 C.F.R. Protection of the
Environment, Part 130 Water Quality Planning and Management.
U.S. Printing Office Washington, DC.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. August 8, 1997. New Policies
for Establishing and Implementing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).
Memorandum from Robert Perciasepe, Assistant Administrator for Water
to Regional Administrators and Regional Water Division Directors.
US EPA, Washington, DC.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. August 9, 1999. EPA Actions
to Support High Quality TMDLs. Memorandum from Robert H. Wayland
III, Director, Office Wetlands, Oceans, and Watershed, Office of
Water, EPA Headquarters to Regional Administrators and Regional
Water Division Directors. US EPA Washington, DC.